# Monotheism in the Ancient World — WHE Article Discussion (2-1454)

**URL:** <https://community.worldhistory.org/t/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world-whe-article-discussion-2-1454/17303>\
**Category:** WHE Articles\
**Created:** [October 17, 2019, 8:59am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world-whe-article-discussion-2-1454/17303 "2019-10-17T08:59:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rdenova](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/rdenova/32/294_2.png) [@rdenova](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/rdenova)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2019, 8:59am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world-whe-article-discussion-2-1454/17303/1 "2019-10-17T08:59:48Z")

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Monotheism is simply defined as the belief in one god and is usually positioned as the polar opposite of polytheism, the belief in many gods. However, the word monotheism is a relatively modern one that was coined in the mid-17th century CE by the British philosopher Henry More (1614-1687 CE). It comes from the Greek words, _monos_ (single) and _theos_ (god). In the Western tradition, this 'belief in one god' specifically refers to the God of the Bible; the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (and always written with a capital G). However, in the ancient world, the concept of monotheism as we understand it today did not exist; all ancient people were polytheists. They may have elevated one god as higher than the others (henotheism) but nevertheless recognized the existence of divine multiplicity.

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_This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at [https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1454/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world/](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1454/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world/)._

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**Author:** ![system](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/system/32/30_2.png) [@system](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/monotheism-in-the-ancient-world-whe-article-discussion-2-1454/17303/2 "2026-07-31T18:44:47Z")

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Unlisted on July 31, 2026, 6:44pm UTC